country. winter storm and blizzard warnings are in effect for 100 million people in the midwest to the northeast. here's what's on the way, snow coupled with wind and sub-zero temps. the coldest they've seen in a very long time. it's started falling from ohio to new york and all of this winter weather is coming just in time for the return to work after the holiday. i'll have to go out and go to work, but i'll have to leave recallier, but yeah. i'm just going to deal with it. >> all right. again, this is just the beginning. parts of new england could see up to a foot of snow when all of this is said and done tomorrow. we'll kick off team coverage this hour. nbc's sarah golf is covering the storm and our bill cairns tracking the latest updates in the studio. i want to begin with sarah in manhattan. this storm will be the first big test here for bill de blasio. how are they bracing for the potential of up to eight inches of snow? >> the key here, thomas, is

getting ahead of the storm and already they've got salt spreaders out on the road. here's what they're spreading, this thick, coarse mixture that will keep the roads dry and that is expected later this evening. we've got 300 of those salt spreaders out on the road and we have about a thousand plows standing nearby. as i said the key is getting the work done before it really starts to fall. as for residents of the tri-state area they are stocking up on shifls, on food ask water. we are hearing of some shortages in local stores. officials, of course, reminding people to stay off the roads. if it's absolutely noes go out, they say be sure to tuck the essentials into your car. they're talking about a flashlight, clothes, food, water, just in case you get stuck somewhere. we're expecting 6 to 12 inches of snow in some places up to 16 inches and with the brutal temperature drops and those

chilly winds, it really is the recipe for the first perfect winter storm of 2014. thomas, back to you. >> nbc's sarah dolph reporting from new york city. >> i want to show you live images from cincinnati and chicago. it is the tail of this. seeing the snow coming down on the left there which i believe is the shot for cincinnati and the right being chicago. i want to go to bill cairns for the latest on this forecast. >> i know you've been very cautious in what to expect out of this storm and making sure the people know the changes that will happen because of the two storm systems here, and millions affect affected. what can we expect by this time tomorrow morning? >> by this time tomorrow morning we'll see how much we're recovering from and in some cases we'll find out how many people have to be rescued from their car and that's the biggest concern when we have blizzard conditions and coastal areas and we don't want to have law enforcement having to go out there and rescue people in their

vehicles when it was minus 10 to mines 20. it's not widespread. it's pretty much just long island and south of boston down to cape cod. it could expand if the storm grows and we'll also watch the boston area and providence because you'll be border line. anywhere in the pink, winter storm prophets. the win the's already at 45 meals per hour and you're in for a 24-hour period of winds there and off and on snow bands and we're continuing to watch the snow in indiana and ohio. as far as totals go, the highest will be in new england and a wide swath of 6 to 12 and new york city expecting somewhere around half a foot. tomorrow morning, people can wait as long as you possibly can before you have to hit the roads. >> i know you'll be a busy man. keep us posted, sir. >> developing right now, mission accomplished.

the long-awaited rescue for that russian ship stuck in ice on christmas eve have finally -- the people on it have come home. >> the first of the helicopters to take us home. >> thanks, everyone! >> australian authorities coordinating these efforts confirmed all of the 52 skient firsts and the tour firsts that were onboard the russian vessel have been airlifted by helicopter to an australian ice breaker nearby. another long journey home completely and that is just beginning and this is the first stage for more on the successful and complicated rescue mission. martin fletcher has been following this story and explain how the rescue went down and the 22 crew members and the people that remained onboard that vessel. as you said right now, mission accomplished and you can imagine how the passengers have been stuck there since christmas eve. it's over at last. what happened is during the

break in the weather, they ferried the trapped passengers to safety, all 52 of them about a dozen at a time while the research ship continues to be stuck in the ice. each trip to the trapped ship picked up a dozen passengers and dropped them near an ice floe and each trip took about 45 minutes for the round trip and the passengers face a two-week journey home and most to australia to new zealand. it was anning no minhius trip. nine feet, china, france, were stuck when withsome sick ice. and now the team leader tweeted a huge thanks to everybody and the crew of weather alone on the ship for to free the boat. >> one of the largest documented social media strandings we have

ever covered. thank you, sir, appreciate it. >> thank you. most of us are two days into the new year's resolutions for those of us who made them. for congress the clock doesn't continue to tick until january 6th that's when they get back to work. what will 2014 bring? hopefully more than last year that led to the least amounts of legislative action on record. joining me to talk about the agenda, tom cole serves on the house budget and appropriations committee. good to have you here. happy new year. >> same to you, thomas. >> so as we look at what's taking place now in a "new york times" article suggested immigration may be at the top of john boehner's to-do list in 2014. boehner hired rebecca talent, a longtime immigration adviser to senator john mccain who has committed to what he calls step by step moves to revise immigration laws and based ones this end of year rant against tea party groups supporters

believe the signs are pointing to reform. what do you say to that and where does it fall on your agenda? are you in lockstep with john boehner if immigration is on the agenda for 2014? >> i think you have to start with first thing's first. when congress gets back the first thing it has to do is take the budget deal and actually makes it law, otherwise government can literally shut down on the 15th. i think we'll get that done, but it hasn't been accomplished yet. you have a farm bill that's going to be accomplished and i don't see much on the immigration front until the spring at the earliest. i think those other things have to get done first. >> do you think that that is the real logical dateline agenda in talking about immigration and the possibility of any type of reform is really just a red herring coming from john boehner to buy time for the 2014 mid

terps? >> no. i don't think the speaker is quite serious. he's been consistent in wanting to pursue a step by step approach. four bills have actually cleared the house judiciary committee and are ready to come to the floor. so i think he's sincere about wanting to do something. i just think until you actually have the government funded and the debt ceiling taken care of and something as essential as the farm bill accomplished and talking about these long-term agendas and if you've had a little bit of success on the budget deal, we should follow tlie on that and think about what's possible for early spring and summer. >> one thing that we can confirm is the aca, and as we talked about the administration, federal and state exchanges and it refused to set up its own exchange. >> meanwhile, as this talking points memo article is putting

throughout some 5 million nationwide because they live in red states that declined to expand medicaid and those that declined, most are more conservative states in the south, midwest and northern rocky mountains that voted against president obama. about 20%, sir, of your state is uninsured and some 130,000 fall into the medicaid coverage gap as well. so will you and your colleagues continue your efforts to try to thwart obamacare or will you help to punish your governor to help those in the state. first of all, i respect and i don't think her mind's been changed very much and i don't think it should be. the program is not popular in oklahoma. never has been and those of us that have insurance are actually seeing our rates go up and finding it much more difficult in terms of deductibles than it was before. so i think the state government

here will proceed slowly. in washington, people forget, while we've tried to repeal or delay 41 times, seven of those bills actually became law. they saved $62 billion over a ten-year period, so we're willing to work with the president, but look, if it's the program that's been effective and it's been the rollout that's been a problem you can just look at the polls and see that. i think the president needs to come up with some fixes for what, frankly, is a pretty flawed piece of legislation. >> very quickly because i have to let you go here, i want to get you on the record with where we stand with unemployment benefits. i know senator reid wants to have the extension. do you see the appetite to go through? >> we're not just going add $30 billion to the national credit card, then i think there might be a possibility of doing something. absent that, it would never get through the house. we'll know the president and senator reid are serious when they actually tell us how they're going to pay for the extension of benefits.

>> good to see you. thanks for joining me today. >> thomas, thank you. he's one of three openly gay members of the president's delegation to the olympics and brian boitano just recently came out. the olympic figure skater is here live in studio to talk about what it means to go to russia. also this -- >> we were reading the tag trying to figure out where this came from and it was open so we then discovered this was a very personal gift. >> pretty amazing. how one woman ended up with a christmas gift from the obama gift, a gift that was meant for someone else that was very close to the obamas and the new york times from edward snowden and a whistleblower and the agenda panel will chime in on that one and that's the topic of a question for you. should edward snowden be granted clemency? weigh in on twitter or facebook. ♪

[ male announcer ] bob's heart attack didn't come with a warning. today his doctor has him on a bayer aspirin regimen to help reduce the risk of another one. if you've had a heart attack, be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. [ cellphones beeping ] ♪ [ cellphone rings ] hello? [ male announcer ] over 12,000 financial advisors. good, good. good. over $700 billion dollars in assets under care. let me just put this away. [ male announcer ] how did edward jones get so big? could you teach our kids that trick? [ male announcer ] by not acting that way. ok, last quarter... [ male announcer ] it's how edward jones makes sense of investing. ♪ as a police officer, i've helped many people in the last 23 years, but i needed help in quitting smoking. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix varenicline is proven to help people quit smoking. chantix reduced the urge for me to smoke. it actually caught me by surprise.

[ male announcer ] some people had changes in behavior, thinking, or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood, and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these, stop chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of mental-health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these, stop chantix and see your doctor right away, as some can be life-threatening. tell your doctor if you have a history of heart or blood-vessel problems or if you develop new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack or stroke. use caution when driving or operating machinery. common side effects include nausea, trouble sleeping, and unusual dreams. i did not know what it was like to be a nonsmoker, but i do now. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. i've got a big date, but my sinuses are acting up. it's time for advil cold and sinus. [ male announcer ] truth is that won't relieve all your symptoms. new alka seltzer plus-d relieves more symptoms than any other behind the counter liquid gel. oh what a relief it is.

okay. so the olympics in sochi, rush attentions are mounting between lgbt activists and vladimir putin. retired olympic figure skater and gold medalist brian boit an on came out about his sexuality just two days after president obama selected him as part of the delegation. he joins tennis legend billie jean king and two-time u.s. ice hockey olympic medalist caitlin cahow. >> let's talk about what it means to represent our country on the delegation and how important that was for you to

get a phone call like that. >> i was honored. when the white house first contacted me to be on the delegation i thought this is a great opportunity. i love representing my country. i always have. i've been to three olympic games and represented them and now i feel like i'm going to represent them in the delegation. >> meanwhile, politics meets the personal life of you. caitlin cahow and billie jean king were already out prior to being on the delegation and there might be others who might be in the closet. we don't know and you decided that you would stake your claim within the lgbt community. why make that declaration now because you've been a private guy all long. >> this was about the message of tolerance and it inspired me and i knew standing next to billie jean and caitlin i had to reveal the private side of my life. i didn't want to step off the plane not being a team player and not representing the country

and the message of president obama's message in the best way that i could. so i felt like it was the time for me. it was my time. >> we've seen a number of stars, celebrities and well-known figures come out in 2014. we had robin roberts do it at the end of the year on nbc, in a refusal to accept an invitation to accept a film festival in st. petersburg because of the russian laws and that was a catalyst for him. yours was a different story and were you using this as an example as a successful out man who happens to be an o limp bean and gold medalist for that. what would you say to the critics who say you waited too long to stake your claim in the community? why now? >> you know, i've always been a private person. i realize i have a public persona because of what i do, but i've always had a personal life, as well. and i've kept the private side of my life as an element to share with family and friends

who are important to me, and i didn't really think that there was a need to come out. i've never been a shamed to come out. i've never been in or out. i've just been. so when this opportunity came of being on the delegation and the message was so important i felt like i needed to stake my claim and just be open and forthright and stand with the other members of the delegation. >> it's great that your heart and head is in this place right now. i think a lot of people would be curious that during the height of your olympic career was there a private pressure to stay publicly closeted? >> you know, at the beginning, yeahfinitely a pressure. it was in the '80s when homophobia was at its height and when i was very young right after the olympics i had agents who said we really are worried about your business if you are a gay man, you know, that will hurt us. so there was a pressure, and

also the community of figure skaters competing at a level when i was very young were mostly straight men, so i was -- when i would go on a tour or when i would be in a competition i was the -- i was, like, the only gay kid in the competition which surprises a lot of people, but it's true. i didn't feel like it was an open environment for me to be able to come out in that way. >> when we think of what's taking place in russia right now and a lot of people taking a look at the politics of three openly gay athletes on the u.s. delegation, what do you think that the responsibility is of athletes that are currently participating in the olympics once they get to russia if they have a feeling about the laws to voice their opinion? >> everybody has their own personal agenda, and if people feel like it's their time to stand up and be noticed then that's great, but in my opinion, the way that i would have dealt with it as an athlete, i would

go and first and foremost is representing your country and doing a good job. winning a medal for your country, so i think that that's why a delegation like the president's delegation like this is important because we can let the athletes pay attention to their job at hand and we can represent them as athletes who are olympic champions and coming out and saying, look, we are successful. we are gay, and we're proud of it and we're standing here in front of you. >> just very interestingly on a side note before you take off for russia, you have a special on hgtv, a villa that you inherited in italy. >> january 16th that you've renovated. >> i renovated my great-great grandfather's house. it's called the bryon boit an on project in january 16th and i bought my great-great grandfather's house in a village where every single boit an on. >> now that everybody knows everyone has a villa in italy. >> i'm off the market. >> officially off the market, just so you know.

glad to have that on the ridiculous, too. >> it's so great to have you and to be able to stand in your own light and stake your place in the lgbt community. >> enjoy. >> my husband and i are coming to your villa. >> olympic gold medalist and figure skater. olympic gold medalist winner, brian boit an on. >> that's awesome. >> a more progressive place. our march to keep the promise of new york alive for the next generation, it begins today. >> new york city's new mayor sworn in by former president bill clinton. is this just the beginning for a new political marriage of sorts between the de blasios and the clintons? part of the beauty of snapchat is that those pictures disappear, but what does the security mean for snapchat users? we'll break it down for you. ♪

we're gonna be late. ♪ ♪ ♪ oh are we early? [ male announcer ] commute your way with the bold, all-new nissan rogue. ♪ the day building a play set begins with a surprise twinge of back pain... and a choice. take up to 4 advil in a day or 2 aleve for all day relief. [ male announcer ] that's handy. ♪

humans -- we are beautifully imperfect creatures, living in an imperfect world. that's why liberty mutual insurance has your back, offering exclusive products like optional better car replacement, where, if your car is totaled, we give you the money to buy one a model year newer. call... and ask an insurance expert about all our benefits today, like our 24/7 support and service, because at liberty mutual insurance, we believe our customers do their best out there in the world, so we do everything we can to be there for them when they need us. plus, you could save hundreds when you switch --

up to $423. call... today. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy? her long day of pick ups and drop offs begins with arthritis pain... and a choice. take up to 6 tylenol in a day or just 2 aleve for all day relief. all aboard. ♪

more developing news to pass along. a former banker accused of faking his own theft to cover up the theft of millions of dollars has been arrested in georgia. 47-year-old aubrey lee prince was pulled over for tinted windows and taken into custody. when authorities discovered his real identity. he's been missing since 2012 when he told his family he was going to kill himself. he was wanted by the fbi in connection to a $21 million wire fraud case. here's a look at other cop stories topping the news. investigators in minneapolis are looking for the cause of a fire on new year's day. it forced residents to jump from the windows to safety. more than 14 people were hurt, six critically. use snapchat? listen to this. names and phone numbers were leaked to an online database by anonymous hackers. the official sites for skype were also hacked.

the family that's been battling to keep a 13-year-old on life support now has a new ally, the terry schiavo life and hope network is helping the family of 13-year-old jahai. she was declared brain dead during complications during tonsil surgery. her family is trying to move her from california to a facility in new york. former first lady barbara bush is doing better and is eager to get home to her dogs and her husband. mrs. bush was admitted monday to a hospital in houston for a respiratory problem. you probably remember him as the tough, but loving uncle phil from "the fresh prince of bel air," james avery died tuesday from complications of open heart surgery. he was only 68. but i am so stuffed up, i can't rest. [ male announcer ] nyquil cold and flu liquid gels don't unstuff your nose. they don't? alka seltzer plus night fights your worst cold symptoms, plus has a decongestant. [ inhales deeply ] oh. what a relief it is.

i have a big meeting when we land, but i am so stuffed up, i can't rest. [ male announcer ] nyquil cold and flu liquid gels don't unstuff your nose. they don't? alka seltzer plus night fights your worst cold symptoms, plus has a decongestant. [ inhales deeply ] oh. what a relief it is.

[ inhales deeply ] fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. everybody knows that parker. well, did you know auctioneers make bad grocery store clerks? that'll be $23.50. now .75, 23.75, hold 'em. hey now do i hear 23.75? 24! hey 24 dollar, 24 and a quarter, quarter, now half, 24 and a half and .75! 25! now a quarter, hey 26 and a quarter, do you wanna pay now, you wanna do it, 25 and a quarter - sold to the man in the khaki jacket! geico. fifteen minutes could save you... well, you know. the revolution begins. former president bill clinton swearing in new york's newest mayor bringing together two

powerful democratic families and give him a break. "the new york times" saying nsa leaker edward snowden should be allowed to come home. the managing editor of msnbc.com. janelle will buoy is the writer for the daily beast, and an msnbc contributor. good to see you. happy new year. we want to start with how we were ringing in the new year and the first official day, the image of president clinton swearing in bill de blasio. who what do you make about how it is useful to both at this time. >> i think people were wondering if there will be a fight in the democratic party to come between progressives and establishment democrats. i think this was a sign that maybe they're trying to make some peace beforehand before hillary clinton runs if she runs and it's a good sign and certainly good for the clintons. >> daphne's hands were going like this, and cupping this intersections of how they're uniting and it is interesting to watch and the clintons are more

centrist as we know. the de blasios are very progressive using that word as most of us heard yesterday in his speech, but president clinton wholeheartedly put himself behind de blasio's mission when it comes to inequality and the wealth gap in this country. take a listen. >> i strongly endorse bill de blasio's core campaign commitment that we have to have a city of shared opportunities, shared prosperity, shared responsibilities. we are interdependent. >> here's where "the washington post" writes one potential obstacle in the path of hillary clinton's possible presidential ambitions is a primary message from the left. it was a liberal step in the positioning of the clintons. so, steve, is this really -- should we be looking that critically at this and how the

fact that bill clinton is there for de blasio is taking hillary clinton to the left? >> i certainly think that's a major possibility. i think that's one of the reasons why this marriage is such a perfect union of the two families. on the one hand, we have de blasio who wants to be more pragmatic and we saw david axelrod noting how clinton's association with de blasio helps to bolster that image and we have hillary clinton and the clinton family looking ahead to 2016. de blasio is a progressive champion and he has incredible credibility on the left. so i think that this is a marriage made in heaven, political heaven. >> when we talk about that, do you think that he can have influence politically beyond new york in a national capacity that could be helpful to a potential hillary clinton candidate? >> absolutely, de blasio is the income inequality focused

progressive wing of the democratic party, he and elizabeth warren. if clinton doesn't run and she is associated with de blasio it gives her traction when it comes to rebutting a potential argument from the left that she isn't concerned about the income gap. >> i want to turn really quickly to get this in because this has a lot of people talking about edward snowden and the nsa leaker and the new york times calling on the govern to allow him to come home. he deserves better than a life of permanent exile, fear and flight. it's time to offer mr. snowden a plea bargain or some sort of clemency. we had congressman rush holz calling for clemency. i want to play a small part. take a look. >> we would not be having this very important national debate now had it not been for snowden. >> what does that mean? >> he now faces two ten-year terms and maybe with additional

charges, life in prison. that is unreasonable. >> as we look at the way that this deck is stacking, the aclu is suing the nsa. two federal uj jes ruled that the nsa. >> there is a public interest in it. one of the things that the new york times editorial signals is that people's views of snowden are changing very quickly. i think the president's views are changing as well will and it depends on what happens. we have two judges finding a problem with the constitutionality here. a third judge saying it's okay. this cheerily oplearly opens th the supreme court. i do think as far as impact, it could be very significant. >> words matter here if he's branded as a whistle-blower or a traitor. it depends on how that is figured out while he lives comfortably in russia. >> msnbc.com, great to see you.

gentlemen, thanks so much. i appreciate your time. i want to go back now to the developing story, and that massive snowstorm targeting the northeast. here is a look at video coming from chicago where many flights are delayed about two and a half hours and according to flight aware, more than 2,000 are delayed across the country. >> american airlines is starting to cancel its flights for tonight, tomorrow in the boston area because of the storm. there's no relief after the snow ends tomorrow. the windchills will be below zero for everyone's morning commute to and from d.c. and in and around boston. the weather channel's mike seidel joins me from boston. they are bracing for the worst of this with blizzard conditions. >> reporter: they are. we've got blizzard warnings on the south shore just south of downtown boston. cape cod and long island, nassau, suffolk counties and east of new york city. these locations will get just a little bit more wind and puts

them in the threshold for the definition and sustained winds of 35 miles an hour or more and reduced visibility of a quarter mile or less of snow or blowing snow. >> that's why they've got the winter storm warnings in boston all morning and they're keeping ahead of the snow and they'll do this until the last leg falls and out at logan airport they'll severely restrict flights, thomas because they want to keep their crews engaged during the height of the storm and stay ahead of the snowfall rate and they can't do that if there's a lot of planes on the tarmac and the runways and the taxi ways. tonight, 8:00 to 9:00 through at least 7:00 or 8:00 tomorrow morning from boston, providence and coastal connecticut and new york city and long island and that's where they will head in these areas and they haven't had a lot of snow. we've had several inches and then the snow will end 10 to 15 inches here in boston and then, thomas, the coldest weather in ten years expected in central park on saturday morning down

around 3. here we'll drop to 3 below zero, but wammer later this weekend with the storm coming up sunday and monday morning it will be rain and not snow. >> there will be proper preparations. the weather channel's mike seidel, thank you, sir. appreciate it. annika thompson. call it the ultimate sibling rivalry. twins share the womb and not the same birthday. >> lorraine was born at 11:58 and her little brother brandon was born three minutes later wednesday morning which means that one was born in 2013 and the other in 2014, and believe it or not, they're not the only twins born in separate years. the same thing happened with the set of twin girls in toronto and you can read the story by heading over to my facebook page. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 searching for trade ideas that spark your curiosity

tdd# 1-800-345-2550 can take you in many directions. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 you read this. watch that. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 you look for what's next. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 at schwab, we can help turn inspiration into action tdd# 1-800-345-2550 boost your trading iq with the help of tdd# 1-800-345-2550 our live online workshops tdd# 1-800-345-2550 like identifying market trends. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 now, earn 300 commission-free online trades. call 1-888-628-7118 or go to schwab.com/trading to learn how. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 sharpen your instincts with market insight from schwab tdd# 1-800-345-2550 experts like liz ann sonders and randy frederick. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 get support and talk through your ideas with our tdd# 1-800-345-2550 trading specialists. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 all with no trade minimum. and only $8.95 a trade. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 open an account and earn 300 commission-free online trades. call 1-888-628-7118 to learn more. so you can take charge of your trading.

feels like listerine®? [ male announcer ] ever wonder why no other mouthwash because no other mouthwash works like listerine®. in your mouth, bacteria forms in layers. listerine® penetrates these layers deeper than other mouthwashes, killing bacteria all the way down to the bottom layer. so for a cleaner, healthier mouth, go with #1 dentist recommended listerine®. power to your mouth™. also try listerine® pocketpaks to kill bad breath germs on-the-go.

don't let the bedbugs bite. new research shows that you may be able to kill bedbugs by freezing them. however, they need to be really cold for a long time with the temperature as low as 3 degrees fahrenheit for at least 80 hours. so as we look at the sea change coming in 2014 there are millions of americans that are hoping that minimum wage and the war surrounding it is one that really gets attention of lawmakers and voters. according to the economic policy institute, democrats' proposals to lift the minimum wage from its current $7.25 an hour to $10.10 would help 27.8 million workers and add $35 billion in wages and also create 85,000 new jobs. washington state democratic congressman jim mcdermott joins me now and he's a senior member of both the house budget and hou ways and means committee. as we looked at january 1st

there were two states giving people this raise. when we talk about the practicality of raising the national federal minimum wage from $7.25, how practical and how much of an appetite is there in d.c. for that? >> i think there is an increasing awareness that if you don't put money into the pockets of workers they're not going to go out and buy things and that means the retail industry is going to be hurt. the business community is mixed in their attitude toward this because some of them will benefit. once you have more money in people's pockets, they go to restaurants and go to places and buy clothing and they go buy sporting equipment, and if you keep them working at a level where theybarely make it, they have no extra income.

for the economy to move forward you've got to have more money in the pockets of workers and that's what it is all about. >> i know this is an attractive idea for democrats to run on this issue of minimum wage to get the attention of voters across the country and help democrats keep control of the senate, but the hill is pointing out that even though there have been a wrath of positive economic news caution that other issues, notably obamacare could loom even larger than the economy. so, in your opinion, what should the democrat strategy be for the midterms because is minimum wage really the issue that will get people to the polls? >> well, i think there clearly is an exciting thing happening today. for the first time many people have health care, and there will be an issue with democrats that i think they can run on and be proud of and they'll have a hard time explaining why it isn't good for people to have health insurance and be protected

against previous problems they've had and getting their children covered. that's going to be hard, but the wage issue really -- i think it ought to be a two-pronged approach, really. health care and the money for people's pockets. without both of those they'll be healthier and they won't have money to spend and i think that's really why you have to do boeing. >> congressman jim mcdermott of washington state, thanks so much for joining me and happy new year to you and yours. >> absence makes the heart grow fonder. it's time for the poly side bar. president obama's ratings have improved since he left for vacation. gallup showed him rising to 44%. it was 39% just before the holiday. a woman in chicago got a surprise from the president and the family. the gift she received was meant for mama kaye being sasha and

malia's godmother. >> it was a beautiful personal photoshop book like shutterfly. >> and what are some of the pictures and do you want to take us through or are you not allowed to show some of these. >> we were sort of wanted to keep it private for mama kaye. it's very special. very special. >> she says she intends to send that gift on to the rightful recipient there. no comment or confirmation from the white house. the new year brought long lines and high prices for people buying recreational pot since colorado has no statewide. his crack problem is not stopping toronto mayor rob ford. he filed paperwork to run for office. he has the best track record and the best maor te mayor the cit

had. on his personal workers that's personal. ♪ we're gonna be late. ♪ ♪ ♪ oh are we early? [ male announcer ] commute your way with the bold, all-new nissan rogue. ♪ to prove to you that aleve is the better choice for him, he's agreed to give it up. that's today? [ male announcer ] we'll be with him all day as he goes back to taking tylenol. i was okay, but after lunch my knee started to hurt again. and now i've got to take more pills. ♪

yup. another pill stop. can i get my aleve back yet? ♪ for my pain, i want my aleve. ♪ [ male announcer ] look for the easy-open red arthritis cap. if you have a business idea, we have a personalized legal solution that's right for you. with easy step-by-step guidance, we're here to help you turn your dream into a reality. start your business today with legalzoom.

we asked and you answered. the question being the new york times on a pardon push for edward snowden. should snowden be granted clemency. ? rich said no. he should come back and face the music. i'm glad he pulled back the curtain. even if there is clemency, i don't think he's coming back. we ask you to keep those comments coming in on twitter and facebook because the conversation will continue. former prime minister ariel sharon is in critical condition and is fighting for his life. sharon is the architect of israeli settlements. he has been in a coma for the last eight years and the news of sharon's deteriorating health comes as secretary john kerry meeting with benjamin netanyahu. both sides are rejecting a u.s.

blueprint that would help israelis and palestinians resolve decades-old fightinging over borders, refugees and control of jerusalem. it's one of several policy challenges facing the obama is editor bosbby gosh. watching this year as well as a piece on complete u.s. troop withdrawal in afghanistan. as we start out with secretary of state kerry being now in the throes of the conversations, trying to pick up where so many people have long before about these peace accords. what do you think the biggest challenge is? >> the biggest challenge is to get the palestinians and the israelis to give up something. we know what they want. it has been one of the same things for 40 years. 50. israelis want the right -- more security and they want the right to construct settlements in parts of the west bank. the palestinians want jerusalem as their capital and the right

of return for palestinians who have to leave when israel was created. we know that all of those demands cannot be met. many, many american presidents and many other tried to do that. that's never going to work. who is going to give up what in order for peace to happen? that's the crucial question. we don't know the answer to that. i don't think john kerry knows the answer yet. >> which side needs to demonstrate who is willing to be the honest broker first? >> beach sides are painted in corners of the opposite corners of the room. each is waiting for the others to make the first move. challenge for the john kerry is to do this in tandem. each side has to give up something. >> so as we look at the dynamics of what is taking place we immediate v the news, a blast in beir beirut, killing at least five and has a stronghold. this is a spillover of the syrian civil war. missing its year-ender deadline when it comes to their chemical weapons. how much diplomatic control and

flex, how much muscular flex can john kerry exhibit on this trip? >> he's not going to be doing very much. he would be paying attention to what is happening in syria and lebanon. that will not be what he discuss necessary public. he will certainly have those discussions with netanyahu in private. the deadline being missed is less of a problem. agency that is responsible for taking care of the chemical weapons say they have control of all the weapons. final deadline which is june. lebanon situation is much more -- this is tit for tat. a sunni target was hit last week. that will accelerate and get worse and worse. it is not clear that the u.s. or anybody else, frankly, outside of lebanon, has a lot of influence in what is going on. >> i want to pivot quickly to afghanistan because we have the president hamid carr day refusing to sign a deal to keep u.s. forces in the country beyond this year. as "time" is pointing out there

are speculations karzai can be handing the task off to his successor. what kind of pitfall does that create for the obama administration? >> on the balance, karzai already has proven he's not a reliable partner. he's completely -- doesn't seem to have much control over himself. never mind his country. there is an election coming in the spring. it will be a new -- in afghanistan. there is taunt to start fresh. in some respects it makes sense to stop with the new leader in palestine. eight years of karzai, he was america's man there. the u.s. had some blim for that. but we -- control has been least. it makes much more sense. >> last but not least we have this new call mounting appetite for the potential of clemency to be granted to edward snowden and the new york times coming out with its piece about this. how do you foresee the president's white house trying to tackle this? because he's, unfortunately,

ensconced under the safety and protection of putin which on the world stage is allowing putin to gloat while at the same time putin agrees that nsa surveillance is necessary to international and world security. he is having his cake and eating it too while sheltering edward snowden. >> putin was one of the big winners last year and snowden was primarily the reason for it. i can't see white house granting clemency. not only in public but on the hill and right now the majority, i think, of people on both sides of the aisle in congress would be oppose. >> vladimir putin loved this because part of the kings of asylum was for zmoen to button up the leaks. he is still porous what he was able to retrieve and putin seems to give no punishment in asylum for that. >> no. and -- snowden claims he has a whole lot more to show. our understanding is we have

only seen a tip of the iceberg. putin, on the other hand, over the past couple of weeks, and the -- weeks coming on, will have other things, too. the olympics will be the big showcase for russia by which we mean the showcase for putin. the bombings that took place in quick succession, 24 hours from each other. that's something that putin will be worried about. may hundred is much he is not thinking too much about snowden just at this minute. >> "time" magazine, national honor. bobby, great to see you. thank you. that will wrap things up for me. i'm sitting in this afternoon at 2:00 for tamron. tomorrow joining me will be congressm chris van hollen. >> happy new year. millions of americans start off 2014 with a resolution -- to have health care. we will take the affordable care

act and we will be joined by jonathan tate for a look at the newest mayor in deblasio. a new year means more than a dozen new minimum wage increases across the country. will congress follow their lead? we will get the latest on the massive winter storm that's about to put a large portion of the country into a deep freeze. all that will start right after this. ildren yelling ] [ telephone rings ] [ shirley ] edward jones. this is shirley speaking. how may i help you? oh hey, neill, how are you? how was the trip? [ male announcer ] with nearly 7 million investors... [ shirley ] he's right here. hold on one sec. [ male announcer ] ...you'd expect us to have a highly skilled call center. kevin, neill holley's on line one. ok, great. [ male announcer ] and we do. it's how edward jones makes sense of investing. ♪

[ sniffles ] i have a big meeting when we land, but i am so stuffed up, i can't rest. [ male announcer ] truth is, nyquil cold and flu liquid gels don't unstuff your nose. they don't? [ male announcer ] nope. they don't have a decongestant. really? [ male announcer ] really. alka seltzer plus night fights your worst cold symptoms, plus has a fast-acting decongestant to relieve your stuffy nose. [ inhales deeply ] alka seltzer plus. oh. what a relief it is. [ male announcer ] can't find theraflu, try alka seltzer plus for fast liquid cold and flu relief. obamacare starts the new year off with a pulse. it is thursday, january 2 and this is now. happy new year everybody. despite all the nay saying and apocalyptic warnings in 2013

millions of americans got yesterday. allows americans to test for themselves, allowing to lower costs and provide coverage to more 307b million uninsured. president obama took to the white house twitter account tweeting i signed the aca for people like marcelas owens. he lost his mom because she couldn't afford coverage. after getting off to a rocky start, the website is running smoothly and millions of americans are receiving coverage for the first time. in total 6 million americans signed up for coverage under the law in 2013. 2.1 million of those enrolled in private insurance through the law's health exchanges and another 3.9 million received coverage through medicaid expansion. the 4.8 million fewer therein would be if republicans in 25 states hadn't refused to refuse